State of the Association: We Succeed Because We Connect
During today’s General Session Breakfast at the 2026 Big “I” Legislative Conference, Angela Ripley, Big “I” chair and president of VW Brown Insurance Service in Columbia, Maryland, delivered the State of the Association address.
Ripley outlined how relationships remain the driving force behind the independent agency system, touching on advocacy wins, new member-focused initiatives, emerging technology and the association’s long-term strategy for supporting the talent pipeline.
In front of hundreds of insurance agents, Ripley emphasized that human connection continues to be an anchor for the Big “I” and its members as they navigate change across the insurance industry together.
“The independent agency system is built on connections,” she said. “Connections with your customers, with your Big ‘I’ colleagues, with our carrier partners, and, as you have seen here, with our lawmakers on Capitol Hill.”
“We succeed because we connect,” she said. “And as long as we keep people at our core, the state of the association will always remain strong.”
As the insurance industry emerges from the hard market, the Big “I” is doubling down on fostering connections and relationships with industry stakeholders, Ripley said, including carriers, other trade groups and, pertinently for the Big “I” Legislative Conference, state and federal legislators.
2026 Big ‘I’ Legislative Conference
Last year, the Big “I” secured a major win for its members by successfully advocating for the permanency of the 20% tax deduction for pass-through entities in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), also referred to as the Working Families Tax Cut.
“Advocacy is where we are best,” Ripley told the attendees at the 2026 Big “I” Legislative Conference. “We will always ensure our voice is strong in Washington and in every statehouse. That’s never been more true than now. Just look around this room for proof of our advocacy strength.”
Most recently, the Big “I” worked with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to roll back certain property insurance requirements that will help consumers with affordability and availability. Further, the Big “I” has played a leading role in the industry to combat legal system abuse.
Ripley also pointed to some major developments in the Big “I” national sphere that are preparing the association for the challenges ahead and helping it’s membership thrive. Notably, the Big “I” national sold its headquarters in Alexandra, Virginia, the proceeds of which will shore up the nonprofit’s reserves.
Additionally, the Big “I” has entered a new phase with TrustedChoice.com, divesting assets of that company, to build “an all-new, free Big ‘I’ agency locator with content for insurance-shopping consumers,” Ripley announced. “That site launches in June, featuring your agency listing—simply as a member benefit.”
“This new strategic direction allows us to better focus on the needs of our core members and provide more of the free digital marketing resources and tools they love,” she said.
Further, “Big I Alliance Gold—our premium aggregator program—keeps adding agencies, and Alliance Blue—the Big ‘I’ online market access placement center—has never been stronger with a variety of new offerings and partners,” Ripley said.
Naturally, no business discussion is complete without an acknowledgment of AI. Both the infinite possibilities for growth and profitability, and the overwhelm and confusion that many independent insurance agents face.
“The independent agency system is built on connections.”
“We are helping you become more efficient by embracing technology while keeping relationships front and center in your business,” Ripley said. “You told us you wanted tools and resources to help you along your Artificial Intelligence journey—our Big “I” Agents Council on Technology (ACT) has delivered just that.”
A comprehensive new AI resource page on independentagent.com includes an AI toolkit for your agency, a podcast series, an AI working group, and the Tech Trends Report, a new report on industry technology trends.
Yet, while technology and tools have the power to multiply agency growth, Ripley restated the importance of connections, in particular, the growing number of women-focused insurance and independent agency groups and conferences.
As the second woman to be the Big “I” chair, Ripley said, “it’s been an empowering experience for me this year to travel, and see these great Big ‘I’ women in their home states working every day to make our industry better.”
During the address, Ripley also revealed that the Big “I” is also working to build connections and uncover new opportunities to position the association and independent agency channel for a stronger future.
The association is taking a hard look at engagement with large brokers, Ripley said. “Our leadership has reached out to some of our largest members to find out how we can improve our value proposition with this group as it gains prominence in the independent agency channel.”
Additionally, Big “I” leadership is exploring ways the association can support the needs of agencies with large life, health and benefits books of business. “While we will never lose sight of our core property & casualty small agency members, we want to also make sure we are supporting the needs of other agencies as well,” Ripley said.
Looking to the future, Ripley pointed to the work the Big “I” has always done to deliver a reliable talent pipeline into the industry.
“From mentorship guides and collaborative roundtables to our Leadership Institute scholarships and state young agents’ programs, we are doing more to embrace our up and coming members,” she said, adding that the national Big “I” Young Agent Committee chair now also serves as a liaison to our national Board, giving this group seat at the table with association’s top leadership.
Further, she hailed Invest’s role in supporting industry talent, which recently launched 11 kickstart initiatives to grow the program nationwide. Also, during Insurance Careers Month in February, nearly 500 students across 27 states participated in Invest’s Real World Ready Insurance challenge.
“All of this creates a vibrant path to build our next generation of independent agents,” she added. “Great people who want to serve their communities.”
Will Jones is IA editor-in-chief.
